Don’t understand why your month outlasts your money? We explain your free personal financial habit tracker’s use as it is designed to help you solve that problem and find out exactly where your money goes.
Most of us spend our money as the bills come in, and as we see things that we want or need. We have not idea what our actual balance is at any given time. This is where disaster beckons, and we lose control of our finances.
“You must gain control over your money or the lack of it will forever control you.” – Dave Ramsey
Before we can get control of our money, we need to know exactly where it goes and how much comes in. That is where this simple to use, financial habit tracker comes in! It will help you to get organized and in control of your personal finances.
“More people should learn to tell their dollars where to go instead of asking them where they went.” – Roger Babson
How to Use the Personal Financial Habit Excel Spreadsheet
I have tried to make the headings in the financial tracker useful to everyone, but don’t expect to have succeeded. If a heading does not apply to your situation, just click on it and replace it with a useful one.
Do not delete any columns as it may affect the rest of the spreadsheet!
Enter your expenditures in the appropriate column.
The Mort/Rent/Taxes column will round to the dollar, but will track the exact amount you enter in the totals. Taxes in this case refers to realty (property) taxes only.
I have made provision for you to track income. If you are paid weekly or bi-weekly, please include only four weeks of pay as income.
** Any income above this minimum should be placed in your emergency fund. ***
Variable income such as commissions and income from a side business should include only the minimum that can be expected.
** Any income above the minimum should be placed in your emergency fund. **
“Do not save what is left after spending; instead spend what is left after saving.” – Warren Buffett
Savings includes retirement TFSA, other investments, vacation, special events, emergency fund and anything else that you are saving for.
Retirement refers to mandatory payroll deductions. If your company offers matching RRSP funds, be sure to maximize this source of free money.
Free Habit Tracker
Find out where your money actually goes with this free spreadsheet.
Disclaimer for ManageYourMoney.ca
The information provided on ManageYourMoney.ca is intended for educational and informational purposes only. It should not be taken as financial advice. The opinions shared are those of the authors and are meant to encourage sensible financial habits and decision-making. We recommend that you do your own research or consult a certified financial advisor before making any financial or investment decisions. All investments come with risks, and there is no guarantee of success. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. Always consider your personal financial situation and risk tolerance before pursuing any investment opportunities.
As always, I am not a qualified financial advisor. I just relate financial management to my own experience which may not resemble yours at all. Advice is frequently worth exactly what you paid for it. Most of mine came from expensive experiences.
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